Income

Community Income Goal: To increase the percentage of central Iowans who are financially self-sufficient to 75% by 2020.

One out of every three families in central Iowa can barely cover basic daily expenses. And low wages force many families to go without—or to go into debt. In today's economy, families need enough income to cover rising costs of food, housing, health care, transportation, childcare and clothing—or face painful financial choices.

One of the clearest paths to economic self-sufficiency is education and training. Job training and readiness programs remain critical to advancing low-wage, low-skilled workers into self-sustaining jobs (UW Metrics report, p. 24). United Way and its community partners work to strengthen central Iowans' education and skills to prepare them for the better-paying jobs in the local economy.

Results Scorecard is a tool used to measure progress toward goals and strategies. Click the scorecard icons to see specific measures.

Income Focus Area

Income Progress

Who is ALICE?

With the cost of living higher than what most wages pay, ALICE families – an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed – work hard and earn above the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), but not enough to afford a basic household budget of housing, child care, food, transportation, and health care. ALICE households live in every county in Iowa – urban, suburban, and rural – and they include women and men, young and old, of all races and ethnicities.

The study and report reveal key statistics around Iowans in need, including detailed analysis by county. Click the image of the report to access the Executive Summary or the full report.

Example Income Programs

Bridges to Success is helping 10,000 central Iowans achieve a high school equivalency diploma (HSED) by the end of 2020. Bridges’ innovative approaches, including supportive coaches who help students overcome barriers and free test-prep classes, lead individuals onto a sustainable career pathway.

OpportUNITY: Creating Prosperity for All is a community-driven approach to reduce poverty in central Iowa by 20 percent by focusing on:

Education and employment readiness

Housing, homelessness and transportation

System and policy changes for new Iowans and those facing the child care cliff effect

Food insecurity

Skills2Compete is a coalition serving as a voice for adult education and workforce advocacy that helps increase financial stability for working families to grow Iowa’s economy.

Skills2Compete is a coalition serving as a voice for adult education and workforce advocacy that helps increase financial stability for working families to grow Iowa’s economy.

Financial Capability Network

The Financial Capability Network is located at Evelyn K. Davis Center for Working Families, and provides low to moderate income individuals and families a pathway of financial literacy and financial inclusion that leads to financial stability. Implementation of the program expands participants' knowledge and develops the skills necessary to help them understand their financial situation in addition to motivating them to take action.

Targeted Income Issues & Strategies

United Way's Income Cabinet, made up of experts in employment, job readiness, training, local economic influences, community leaders, elected officials and others worked with our income team to identify the key issues facing central Iowans in three areas. Based on leading research from these and other experts, root causes for each area were identified and an Income Strategy Map designed to have long-term impact on each. Each strategy is then used to help guide investment and resource decisions, and is carefully tracked and measured to ensure invested funds are producing the desired results (see the Scorecard icon at the bottom of each column.)

The Income Strategies are:

EDUCATION & EMPLOYMENT ATTAINMENT

1.1 Reengagement in Education (Adult Basic Education, back to high school or HISET attainment)

"While poverty is a real issue facing our community we are beginning to shift that position. I'm proud of our strategic work building pathways for individuals and families to achieve financial independence."

Renée MillerCommunity Impact Officer, Income

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United Way of Central Iowa is proud to have earned a four-star rating for eleven straight years from Charity Navigator, an American independent charity watchdog organization that evaluates charitable organizations in the United States. Click the logo to review our complete evaluation.